1984 Dutch Grand Prix
26 August | number = 401 | officialname = XXVII Grote Prijs van Nederland | circuit = Circuit Park Zandvoort | location = Zandvoort, Netherlands | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 4.252 | laps = 71 | distance = 301.892 | pole = Alain Prost | polenation = FRA | poleteam = | poletime = 1:13.567 | fastestlap = 1:19.465 | fastestlapdriver = René Arnoux | fastestlapnation = FRA | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 64 | winner = Alain Prost | winnernation = FRA | winnerteam = | second = Niki Lauda | secondnation = AUT | secondteam = | third = Nigel Mansell | thirdnation = GBR | thirdteam = | scheduledlaps = 71 }} The 1984 Dutch Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the XXVII Grote Prijs van Nederland, was the thirteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands on the 26 August 1984.'Dutch GP, 1984', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr401.html, (Accessed 21/03/2019) The race would see Alain Prost and Niki Lauda claim their third one-two of the season for , leaving them just half a point apart in the Championship. Qualifying had seen Prost grab pole position for the race, while a low-key Lauda found himself starting from sixth. He would therefore have to get ahead of Nelson Piquet, Elio de Angelis, Derek Warwick and Patrick Tambay to challenge his teammate for victory. Unfortunately raceday would be overshadowed by events off the circuit, with an ageing walkway above the pitlane collapsed, injuring several people. Elsewhere, there would be a controversial announcement by , who revealed that they had signed Brazilian star Ayrton Senna for in spite of the fact that Senna had a two-year contract with . When the race did get underway it proved to be an underwhelming start for the two McLarens, with Prost beaten by Piquet into Tarzan, while Lauda slipped to ninth. Indeed, the star of the start instead proved to be Keke Rosberg, who jumped to fifth from seventh on the grid, while Tambay leapt into third to challenge Prost. Rosberg's charge would carry on throughout the early stages, with the Finn moving into third with quick fire moves on de Angelis and Tambay. Lauda was also showing what fight he had, with the Austrian ace picking his way back up the order to claim fourth at the start of lap nine. That soon became third when Piquet's engine expired in a plume of smoke, a failure that also put Prost into the lead. The Frenchman duly eased away from the now second placed Rosberg, who was to relinquish second to Lauda a lap after Piquet's demise. The McLarens quickly disappeared out of sight, running one-two through to the chequered flag to secure the Constructors Championship for McLaren-TAG with three races still to go. Third looked set to go to Rosberg, only for a late charge from Nigel Mansell to carry the Brit from sixth to third in the closing stages. Rosberg, meanwhile, would run out of fuel with two laps to go, meaning the remaining points were shared between de Angelis, Teo Fabi and Tambay. The results of the race ensured that Lauda still held the lead in the Championship with 54 points, while teammate Prost ended the weekend on 53.5. Background In terms of the Championship victory last time out for Niki Lauda had meant that he moved to the top of the Championship standings, establishing a 3.5 point lead over teammate Alain Prost. It was the first time all season that someone other than the Frenchman had led the title hunt, although Prost remained the favourite heading into the final four races. Furthermore, Lauda's leap had opened a significant gap back to third placed Elio de Angelis, with the Italian racer 15.5 points off of second placed Prost arriving at Zandvoort. The Constructors Championship, meanwhile, was all but settled in favour of , the Anglo-German squad having ended the Austrian weekend 42 points clear, with just 60 left to fight for. , meanwhile, had emerged as their closest challengers, getting back ahead of in the latest edition of their game of leapfrog, although the Ethel based effort were only 2.5 points behind the Scuderia. were also in the battle for fourth landing in the Netherlands, as were in spite of their awful reliability throughout the season. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. *T Indicates a driver using a test/spare car. ** Rothengatter was allowed to join the back of the grid as the two Tyrrells were entered under protest. Grid Race Report Result The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Johansson and Bellof were both disqualified as a result of the "ban" on the Tyrrell 012. *† Rosberg, Arnoux and Cheever were all still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * secured their second Constructors' Championship. ** claimed their maiden Constructors' Championship as an engine supplier. * made their 100th Grand Prix start as a constructor.'13. Netherlands 1984', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1984/pays-bas.aspx, (Accessed 21/03/2019) * The race number #23 made its 200th appearance on an entry list.'1984 Dutch GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1984&gp=Dutch%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 21/03/2019) * Fourteenth career victory for Alain Prost. ** It was also Prost's fifth win of the season. * 39th victory for McLaren as a constructor. ** Engine partners TAG claimed their ninth victory. ** Oil suppliers Shell secured their 100th victory. * René Arnoux recorded his twelfth and final fastest lap. ** This was also the tenth fastest lap for a car using #28 as its race number. ** Also the 100th fastest lap recorded by a built and engined car. Standings Alain Prost's fifth win of the season put the Frenchman just half a point off of teammate Niki Lauda at the head of the Championship hunt, with the pair realistically the only drivers fighting for the crown. Indeed, third placed Elio de Angelis would have to win the next race in Italy just to stay in the hunt, with a 22 point gap between himself and Lauda. He was therefore in a fight for third, which included René Arnoux, Nelson Piquet and Derek Warwick. In contrast the World Championship for Constructors battle was already over, for were now out of reach of the rest of the field. Indeed, their stunning tally of 107.5 left them 52.5 points clear of second placed , with just 45 points left to fight for in 1984. The Ethel based squad were therefore fighting for second, with , and all in the fight. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. These standings have been modified to show the Championship as it stood after the retroactive disqualification of the 012 and drivers Martin Brundle and Stefan Bellof. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1984 Grands Prix Category:Dutch Grand Prix